Irresponsible Browsing Mode
Every browser today is equipped with a secretive browsing mode called Private or Incognito mode that allows you to surf without leaving any trace of where you were in your browser. Here is a list of the popular browsers and what they call it.
- Chrome: Incognito mode
- Explorer: InPrivate browsing
- Edge: InPrivate window
- Safari: Private window
- Firefox: Private window
I’m sure there is probably some legitimate use for these modes--like when you go birthday shopping online for a family member and don't want to spoil the surprize. But given that the only purpose is to hide your activity on the web from other people in your household, that sounds pretty shady to me. In a survey done in June 2017, 48% of the people who were surveyed about the reason they use private mode preferred not to disclose. I wonder why? Quite simply, private mode is also referred to as "porn mode". Enough said.
We recommend being accountable to others while browsing the web. A family member should be able to open your computer and see where you've been. That's why we're calling this irresponsible browsing mode. Rather than being held responsible for your actions, you are hiding your actions. For my own benefit, I found a way to disable this mode on my computer. There is a programmer who wrote a small program to disable private browsing mode in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. I sent him a donation. If you find it useful, you can do likewise to encourage him!
Get it at incognitogone.com